Dr. Horhota was raised in St. Catharines, Ontario, a small city near Niagara Falls in Southern Ontario. She was first exposed to psychology when she was in middle school. She and her classmates were given a rat to take care of and to train to learn to run a maze. Although she quickly learned that studying rats was not for her (they bite!), she became fascinated with the idea of scientifically studying behavior.

Dr. Horhota went to the University of Toronto for her undergraduate degree and was accepted into the inaugural class of the “Research Specialist Program” in Psychology. This gave her the opportunity to conduct research and take courses in a small class environment. In Toronto, she became interested in understanding
how social processes differ between individuals of different ages. Dr. Horhota worked at the Hospital for Sick Children with Dr. Susan Goldberg studying infant attachment. Specifically, they were interested in how mothers conveyed emotional information to their babies, and how the patterns of emotions differed across attachment styles. At the same time, Dr. Horhota worked with Dr. Alison Chasteen studying how older adults’ memory performance differed based on their motivation and how social situations can influence memory performance. She decided to focus her studies on the latter half of the life-span and headed south in search of warm weather and retirees.

Dr. Horhota completed both her
Masters and Doctoral degrees in Cognitive Aging at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga. working under
the mentorship of Dr. Fredda Blanchard-Fields. For her Masters, she studied how people’s personal beliefs impact the social judgments they make about other people. In her dissertation, Dr. Horhota examined interpersonal communication and impression formation in young, middle-aged and older adults.

Dr. Horhota joined the Furman faculty in 2008. Since that time, her research has continued to focus on the social judgments of older adults, and understanding the role of beliefs and stereotypes on memory performance. She has also been involved with the Conservation Culture Research Initiative through the Shi Center for Sustainability.

Faculty Courses Taught

Name

Title

Description

FYS-1160

Media and Human Behavior

Everyday we are bombarded by images from the media around us: billboards, television, films, music, books, the internet. How do we process the information that we see? Do these images affect the perceptions we have of ourselves, others in our society and the world around us? This course encourages students to become critical consumers of the media that surrounds them. Students will learn about psychological principles related to social, developmental and cognitive processes through reading empirical articles and other source materials. In papers and class discussions, students will apply these psychological principles to understanding contemporary forms of media and the impact that media has on our everyday lives.

PSY-111

General Psychology

Comprehensive introduction to psychology as a behavioral science through a survey of historical, empirical, and theoretical perspectives of psychological research. Topics include: biological bases of behavior, development, learning, personality, cognition, perception, motivation, behavior disorders, and social psychology. Students must either participate in research projects or write summaries of published research articles.

PSY-213

Adulthood and Aging

Developmental changes across adulthood. Includes topics such as changes in memory functioning, physicality, caregiving, and socio-emotional processing. Selected topics related to atypical aging, such as Alzheimer's disease and living to be a centenarian will also be addressed.

PSY-413

Current Topics in Aging

This seminar requires students to read and discuss primary literature on current issues in the study of Adulthood and Aging. Topics may include memory, everyday problem solving, communication, caregiving, social networks and lifestyle. Group and independent research involving on-site observations and working directly with seniors will be required.

Faculty Tab 3 description

Often, we hear about studies that focus on declines that occur with
older age. In my lab, I am interested in studying areas in which adults
continue to grow and develop with age. Much
of my research examines how older adults' beliefs and experiences
inform their social and cognitive functioning in social situations. For
example, during intergenerational communications, how do people adjust
their speech to adapt to the person they are speaking
with? And how do a person’s beliefs influence their perceptions of
social situations and the judgments they form of others? I am also
interested in the role of personal beliefs and expectations on cognitive
outcomes such as memory. For example, what memory
strategies do older adults believe will positively affect their memory
performance? Do these strategies actually work?

The overarching goal of my research is to better understand the types of
behaviors that are adaptive for adults in social situations. The hope
is that understanding the underlying processes that drive behavior will
not only reveal when older adults will show
poor judgment in social situations, but also when they will instead
benefit from their accumulated experience and demonstrate exceptional
performance.

From the time I stepped onto Furman’s campus, I have also been involved
with the Shi Center for Sustainability as part of the Conservation
Culture Research Initiative. My role in this collaborative team is to
research beliefs about environmental issues and
monitor behavioral changes on campus as Furman implements
sustainability initiatives on campus. I am also interested in outreach
to the greater Greenville community and am involved in research projects
examining the impact of sustainability initiatives on
older adults’ sense of well-being and cognitive outcomes.

Connect with Admission

Furman University is one of the nation's premier undergraduate liberal arts colleges. We offer outstanding academics, opportunities for a broad range of talented students with a passion for learning, a robust arts program, and NCAA Division I athletics.

Undergraduate Evening Studies provides adults the opportunity to receive an education from one of the premier liberal arts universities in the nation.

Whether you are starting or continuing your education, or have been away from the classroom for a few months or several years, our program provides many services to assist you with accomplishing your educational and professional goals.